Wine and Cheese Pairing Chart

This is not, by any means, a comprehensive listing of all the wine and cheese pairings there are in the world. However, the below chart is a great starting point for wine and cheese enthusiasts. Most of the information comes from this chart on Gourmet Sleuth, in addition to the type of cheese it is (cow, goat, sheep, etc).

Why does wine and cheese taste so amazing together? It's said that the fat content of cheese is a perfect match to the acidity of wine, and smooths over any "faults" that may be in your glass of vino. I refer you to this article by LiveScience - it's a great primer on why certain foods just seem to go together.

Cheese and Charcuterie Board at Bin 228 Gastropub

The other night I had an amazing cheese and charcuterie board at Bin 228 with my boyfriend. The cheeses were: gouda and manchego, with coppa and prosciutto, cornichons and grilled bread. I paired it with a 2015 Riesling by Chateau Montelena (yes, that Chateau Montelena). It was perfection. The wine was dry, slightly acidic, but still fruity with hints of lemon. It also paired perfectly with the decadent truffled fonduta we ordered after (not pictured). Next time I'll have to try a Spanish red with the Manchego.... you know what they say, "What grows together, goes together."

Happy eating!

Cheese	Country	Type	Type	Wines
Asiago	Italy	Hard	Cow	Riesling, Rioja, Sauvignon Blanc, Prosecco
Beaufort	France	Hard	Cow	Red Bordeaux
Blue Cheese	All	Blue	Cow	Madeira, Sherry, Riesling
Brie	France	Soft	Cow	Champagne, Merlot, Sherry
Camembert	France	Soft	Cow	Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc,
Cheddar	All	Semi-Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Rioja, Sauvignon Blanc
Chevre	France	Semi-Soft	Goat	Champage, Gewurztraminer
Colby	USA	Semi-Soft	Cow	Champagne, Malbec, Riesling
Comte	France	Semi-Hard	Cow	Cabernet Sauv, French Reds
Derby	Britain	Hard	Cow	Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc
Edam	Netherlands	Hard	Cow	Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling
Emmenthal	Switzerland	Hard	Cow	Beaujolais
Feta	Greece	Semi-soft	Sheep	Beaujolais
Fontina	Italy	Semi-soft	Cow	Pinot Grigio
Goat Cheese	France	Soft	Goat	Sancerre, Vouvray, Sauvignon Blanc
Gouda	Netherlands	Semi-Hard	Cow	Champagne, Malbec, Riesling, Merlot
Gruyere	Switzerland	Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc
Halloumi	Cyprus	Semi-Hard	Sheep	Rose, New World Whites
Harvati	Denmark	Semi-soft	Cow	Red Bordeaux, Rioja
Jarlsberg	Norway	Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Zinfandel
Kasseri	Greece	Semi-Soft	Sheep	Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel
Limburger	Germany	Soft	Cow	Beer
Manchego	Spain	Hard	Sheep	Merlot, Rioja, Garnacha
Monterey Jack	USA	Semi-Hard	Cow	Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Zinfandel
Muenster	France	Soft	Cow	Beaujolais
Neufchatel	France	Soft	Cow	Loire Valley Wines (i.e. Sancerre)
Parmagiano	Italy	Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Chianti
Pecorino	Italy	Hard	Sheep	Chianti
Piave	Italy	Hard	Cow	Zinfandel, Italian Reds
Raclette	Switzerland	Semi-Hard	Cow	Beaujolais
Red Leicester	Britain	Semi-Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Roquefort	France	Blue	Sheep	Port
Smoked Gouda	Netherlands	Semi-Hard	Cow	Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Stilton	Britain	Semi-Hard	Cow	Port, Sauternes
Swiss	Switzerland	Semi-Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
Taleggio	Italy	Semi-Soft	Cow	Pinot Blanc

Culinary Trend: Blood Oranges

Every so often, various ingredients and dishes go into vogue. Recently, foods such as kale and chia seeds made their way to the culinary forefront by way of blogs, magazines, and health fads.

Now, I'm noticing a previously obscure fruit that is gaining popularity in the foodie world– that is to say, the blood orange. Popping up in blogs and grocery stores alike, this underrated citrus is finally finding its way into America's kitchens.

Photo Credit

Blood orange gets its name (unsurprisingly) from its dark, blood-red fruit that distinguishes it from its cousin, the navel orange. In terms of taste, the two are relatively similar; though personally I find the blood orange to be a little more on the sour side (a subtle distinction from the navel orange's acidity) with a unique aftertaste. Of course, the taste is contingent on the orange's specific cultivar. When in season, many blood orange varieties boast a noticeable sweetness defining their taste.  

Now, I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to citrus fruits– I love to eat my oranges and grapefruits raw and unsweetened, or freshly pressed. However, these blood orange inspired recipes and foods are good enough to make me break my rule:

Talenti Blood Orange Sorbetto

Blood Orange Cake 

Recipe here.

Blood Orange Sangria

Recipe here.

Blood Orange & Clementine Galette

Recipe here. 

Goat Cheese Crostini with Blood Orange Marmalade

 Recipe here.

Restaurant Review: Haru Aki Café

As a food nerd, it's tough going to college in farmville (literally) and not a city. UConn doesn't exactly boast a diverse culinary scene like NYC or Boston.

The lack of food culture at UConn especially makes itself known when I want to try new things. For example, I read about Bubble Tea in a blog and immediately wanted to try it. (Bubble tea can come in many forms, but it's usually found as a tea-based iced drink mixed with fruit syrup, milk, and tapioca pearl boba.) I searched on Yelp, and I saw a Chinese place just off the UConn campus offered bubble tea. But when I ordered my tea there, I watched in horror as they boiled some water, added some really artificial-looking powder to it, then shook it with ice. Even worse– it tasted more artificial than it looked. No thanks!

Luckily, less than a year later, the Haru Aki Café opened right next to my apartment building. "Haru" and "aki" mean spring and fall in Japanese, which speaks to the café's ethos concerning seasonal cuisine. But more importantly, they offer an amazing bubble tea menu.

Images from the Haru Aki Facebook page

Unlike other Asian-fusion restaurants in the area, the Haru Aki Café utilizes actual tea in their bubble tea (and not that synthetic powder). So far, I've tried the green tea with honeydew, peach, and lychee, and they've all been delicious. I could drink their bubble tea all day if my wallet allowed it.

In addition to the great bubble tea selection, they have delicious savory offerings as well– sushi, donburi (rice bowls), scallion pancakes, salads, and croquettes. 

Scallion Pancake

One day as I was buying a Honeydew bubble tea, I was lucky enough to run into Ron Liu, who is co-owner of the café. I asked him a bit about his background, and it turns out that he was a business student at UConn who had always dreamed of opening a restaurant. A few years after his graduation, he found himself in a financial position where he had the means to open Haru Aki.

Ron told me that while he is one of the main sushi chefs at the café, his girlfriend (who is also a co-owner and a fellow UConn alum) is the main force behind the menu. I told him how glad I was to have such a great restaurant nearby, and assured him that I would be back.

- - - 

This post really exemplifies why I love discovering new eateries and writing about them– because every small, locally owned restaurant has a unique story to tell. Food isn't just food... it's humanity. It's history. It's memories of your mom teaching you how to cook, or your grandmother sharing her secret recipe. And above all, it provides the medium through which people of different cultures can connect and learn from each other. 

Club W

One of the hardest things about food blogging is figuring out what to write about next, especially where wine is concerned. It's fine to go to the liquor store and pick up a new bottle at random, but I like a more systematic way of picking out wines.

Enter Club W. I first saw them in an ad on Facebook (of all things) but decided to check out the website.








To start your Club W membership, the site asks you to take a Palate Profile quiz.

The quiz includes questions about your preferences for different types of flavors, like citrus fruits and earthy flavors (like truffles or mushrooms). Then, based on your answers to the questionnaire, the site gives you personalized recommendations from their curated selection of wines.

You can choose how many recommendations you receive (i.e. two reds and one white, etc.) in addition to browsing the other wines that weren't matched to your palate.

Club W's information about the wine is concise without being snobby. For each wine, they post a quick fact sheet that gives you the "vitals" of the wine, and a video where a sommelier describes the tasting notes.

I received my first Club W package in the mail a little while ago... more to come on my reaction to the wines!